Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Tennessee.
That top group of college football programs to consider signals plenty for a recruit at any position, including a national reach. For Carnell Tate, those programs have been on the table for some time in what will be one of the most tracked recruitments in the class of 2023.
Originally from the Chicago area, Tate has prepped at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy since 2021, where the junior led the Ascenders in pass-catcher production during the team's 9-1 run. Since, he has dominated on the 7-on-7 circuit with South Florida Express, taking a slew of unofficial visits in the process.
The club team recently spent time at Ohio State, while Tate has also logged trips to Notre Dame, Georgia and Ohio State since mid March. Tennessee will get him back on campus this weekend, in what will be one of the most talked-about visits of the national slate considering it aligns with the program's de-facto spring football game.
Taking a look at the 6'2", 185-pound Tate in person, in any setting, or especially on tape and the intensity in the race for his services at the collegiate level becomes quickly justified. There is maturity, polish, production, execution and sheer play-making ability when the rising senior recruit laces 'em up.
Sports Illustrated most recently saw Tate perform during 7-on-7 circuit play (video above), where he flashed an all-around game against good competition. He really shined off of the snap of the football, working the line of scrimmage well from a technical standpoint and from the perspective of variance. Tate was rarely challenged by a press-man look, but thrived when presented with said opportunities, stabbing one way before working the other against aggressive cover men. Few got their hands on him at the stem of the route with any effectiveness, and Tate worked inside seemingly at will in the process, hauling in several passes over the middle for easy gains and a few scores.
It’s after the release where Tate sometimes shines brightest, though, in how smooth he operates. There is a gliding, almost effortless element to his running style, combined with big strides to make it appear as if he is not straining to get to the second and third level of the defense. However, he is often even or behind the assigned defender at the top of the route, where his awareness, ball skills and finishing ability make for a tough cover even when in position to make a play on the ball.
Tate has great length on his frame and maximizes it with a true catch radius both laterally and vertically, willing to hit the apex to make contested catches. This is something more evident on Friday nights, including as a junior in 2021 when he was the top passing option at IMG Academy despite the considerable talent that program always features at the national level. He's also willing to sacrifice his body at the catch point, evident by a catch-of-the-year worthy grab against Miami (Fla.) Northwestern in September.
The 2021 tape is littered with spectacular grabs, from the one-handed variety, more at the high point and several where his catch-and-run instincts counter a narrative surrounding a lack of top-end speed for Tate. The nature of his movement doesn't lend to head-turning speed characteristics, but the ability in the return game flashed the urgency some feel is still to be desired on offense -- but don't group SI in that narrative -- Tate runs plenty well enough.
In fact, as the Chicago native fills out his lengthy frame with good mass and eventually in a college weight room, the most debatable element of Tate's athletic profile will become less of a conversation piece. Even if it didn't, the route-running precision, as he wins leverage both at the line and at the top of the route on routine, masks any lack of elite downfield ability anyway. The game is separation at the wide receiver position, more than anything else, where few have presented as consistently as he has.
While every wideout has room to improve at every stage, and especially in the physicality department at the prep level, there is indeed a grit to Tate's game. He is a willing blocker, something we see as the off-man returner on special teams as well as on offense within IMG Academy's run-first scheme. Tate is unafraid to mix it up with defenders, displaying the type of confidence almost necessary to excel at the position regardless of play call.
As Tate works towards the next step in his recruitment and eventually his senior season at IMG Academy, he is as polished a prospect as there is nationally regardless of projected position. There is physical and technical room for improvement as a senior in 2022 ahead of a collegiate debut, but it would be surprising if Tate did not begin to impact a college roster as early as in the fall of 2023 as a true freshman regardless of which program he eventually picks.
